Copenhagen and Malmö: Sunshine and Pastry

Our Scandinavian adventure continued with an early start—yet another flight, another city to explore! We kicked off the day with a quick Nespresso in our Oslo apartment before catching the 6am tram from Grunnerløkka to central station, and then the train to the airport (bonus points for the coffee machine onboard the train). The flight with Norwegian Air was short and sweet—just an hour to Copenhagen.

Once we landed, getting into the city was seamless. We dropped our luggage at a charming little luggage shop we’d pre-booked—shoutout to the incredibly kind staff there—and set off to find some lunch (cue mild shock at Danish prices).

Our lunch spot in front of the closed Tivoli gardens. And my choice of lunch, the delicious smørrebrød.

Fuelled and slightly more caffeinated, we had a little wander through the city before our 2pm walking tour.

Bits and pieces from our pre-tour stroll

Exploring Copenhagen on Foot

The walking tour was the absolute highlight of the day. Our guide Tom, who had moved to Copenhagen 20 years earlier (a recurring theme with our guides!), was a history major and clearly passionate about the city. For over three hours, he took us through Copenhagen’s streets, sharing stories, answering all our questions—from taxes to healthcare to the (non-existent) drinking age—and painting a vivid picture of Danish life. We soaked it all in.

The slightly distorted Cathedral of Copenhagen (National Cathedral of Denmark), where King Frederik X and Mary were married

Inside the Cathedral of Copenhagen

Tom is a regular guide and people in the area know him. When they see him they let him bring his tourists into the squares behind the buildings, where only residents can go, so we could see the beautiful residential gardens. Here we met this lovely Danish cat, and also some chickens.

The lovely streets, always lined with bicycles

The university

The Kings Garden around Rosenborg Palace

The marble church and Amalienborg Palace. The Royals were in that day—the flag was up!

We finished the tour later than planned (too many questions—oops!) and had to speed back to collect our luggage before the shop closed. Then it was onto the metro to Islands Brygge, where we were staying. Navigating the Airbnb check-in process was a little confusing—we had to pick up keys from another location and were instructed to say we were "friends" of the host if asked by neighbours. Clearly, Airbnbs aren't everyone’s cup of tea in Copenhagen.

Dinner that night was a home-cooked pizza, cobbled together from the less-than-inspiring shelves of the local Rema1000. Not glamorous, but it hit the spot.

A Quick Hop Over the Bridge – Hello Malmö!

The next day, we decided to add another country to our itinerary with a spontaneous day trip to Malmö, Sweden. A lovely woman at a gift shop in Kongens Nytorv had shared a whole list of things to do there the day before, and we were all in.

The train ride was a breeze—half an hour through a tunnel, then over the Øresund Bridge, with a sea wind farm as our travel companion. Unfortunately, just before we boarded, I lost a contact lens (from a fresh pair, no less!) and hadn’t packed spares—rookie error—so it's glasses for the rest of the trip.

Malmö greeted us with sunshine and a relaxed vibe. We followed our gift shop itinerary: Stortorget, Lilla Torget (with cheesecake!), Gustav Adolf Torg for lunch, and plenty of strolling.

We even went to the Disgusting Food Museum, where we found vegemite listed amongst the world's most disgusting foods. I got to try ants, some kind of grub, and stink bugs (dried and de-stunk). Not the worst! There was also a selection of stinky cheese, which is always delicious!

We were back in Copenhagen by late afternoon and decided to go full local—hiring bikes through an app for 24 hours. After a quick change at the Airbnb, we biked to the gym in the city. Post-workout, we stopped at a better-stocked grocery store to gather ingredients for a Mexican dinner, then spent the evening planning our final day in Copenhagen, messaging our walking tour guide Tom for tips.

Bikes, Pastries & Castles – Wrapping Up in Copenhagen

We started our final morning with a run through Christianshavn and Christiania—such a good way to explore the city, and the views were beautiful.

As a group, our first adventure of the day was climbing Our Saviour’s Church. Two of us made it all the way to the top via the dizzying spiral staircase outside the spire, while the other two respectfully tapped out at the top of the bell tower. Fair enough!

The walk to the top of the tower was slightly nerve wracking, with the tower swaying ever so gently in the breeze. But I couldn't not do it!

Next stop: pastries, of course. We hit up Sankt Peders Bageri, where we devoured croissants and got chatting with a couple who gave us tips for more bakery stops.

The ride to the bakery

We followed up by visiting the (tiny and underwhelming) Little Mermaid statue—tourist box ticked—and then cycled to Rosenborg Castle.

The little mermaid and St. Albans Church

While the boys returned to the gym, we explored the castle and saw the Danish Crown Jewels. Absolutely incredible—definitely one of the trip’s standout experiences. We grabbed a pistachio and chocolate "snail" pastry for later from the bakery our new friends had recommended.

That afternoon, after a successful pizza and beer test at an Italian restaurant in Nyhavn, we returned our bikes and walked to our canal tour—stopping by the gift shop to thank the girl who’d sparked our Malmö adventure. The canal tour was the perfect way to wrap up our time in the city: funny guide, sunshine, open-top boat, and a totally new view of Copenhagen.

The last picture in this group is the spiral tower that we'd climbed earlier in the day!

One last beer at Krog’s Fiskerestaurant (a fitting tribute to our friend of the same surname who gave us the Copenhagen to-do list), then we caught the metro back to the apartment, grabbed groceries, and cooked up a stir fry.

Cards were on the agenda for the night, but instead we found ourselves deep in planning mode for the next leg of our journey: Rovaniemi!

Copenhagen and Malmö gave us three packed, colourful, and culture-filled days—packed with history, pastries, bikes, castles, and one very tiny mermaid. We love it here and will be back, absolutely. For now, onwards to the Arctic Circle!